Tag Archives: appearance

Several years ago (three, to be exact) a reader named Anne gave me a suggestion that got me to thinking. She said,

“More writing having to do with legalism, and the recovery process would be greatly appreciated!”

Then, I wrote the following post and saved it as a “draft.” I don’t know why I never published it, but I’m going to do so right now – 3 years late.

Thank you, Anne, for the call to refocus.

So, in an effort to encourage more debate on legalism, I am going to share a story with you. It is a story I heard from a really neat guy I met yesterday. His name – Dr. Shine.

Dr. Shine

Yesterday, I went on a service call in downtown Chattanooga (a client had questions regarding his credit card service). While waiting for the business owner to show up, I stood outside on the sidewalk under a shade tree, right next door to a shoe repair shop.

Dr. Shine (I don’t know his real name), who was also standing outside, was greeting people as they walked by. It didn’t take long for me to strike up a conversation, and before long I was invited into his shop to have my shoes shined. “C’mon in,” he said, as he led me to his specially built chair. “Jus step on up dare, and I’ll fix you right up.”

The great doctor did a great job shining my shoes, even though they hadn’t been polished much since I bought them. As he was buffing away I looked down and said, “Good-looking shoes make a difference, don’t they?”

That’s when he told me about a lawyer.

The Story

Dr. Shine told me that twice a week an attorney comes into his shop, climbs up into his chair, and pays to have his shoes shined. “Five hundred dollar suites don’t mean nothin’ if your shoes look bad,” the doctor said. “People notice.”

Evidently what happened is this lawyer had dared go to court all dressed up, but his shoes must have looked bad. According to Dr. Shine, the judge in the courtroom said, “The next time you want to bring your a** in my courtroom, you’d better shine your shoes!”

The lawyer has had polished shoes ever since.

What about Church?

Why is it that people will show the utmost respect for a judge in an earthly court, but so little for the holiness of God?

After talking with Dr. Shine, the shoeshine man, I thought about how many times I’ve seen people dress up for a court appearance, but dress down for church.

We talk “grace” and all, but what about respect? We talk about “entering into His presence,” but do we really mean it?

Clothing has nothing to do with one’s spirituality, so don’t misunderstand me. However, here’s something to think about: How would your shoes look if you were literally about to enter into the Courtroom of the Judge of all the Universe?